Slip n' slides are endlessly fun.



 We spent the day at the coast playing spies and making a spy training obstacle course. Liam was "Mitch Rapp," the CIA operative. We also collected a lot of sand and a few sunburns. 
Liam had me take this last picture "so dad could see how far I can go."

Going Spanish

After phone calls, letters, prayers, faxes, and a few months of checking the mailbox religiously, I finally got it in the mail- Liam’s acceptance letter into the Spanish immersion program.  It was a long shot to get an approval for zone exemption, but it worked and we’re thrilled. We feel it’s a way to take advantage of our stay in D.C.

The program works especially well because half of the kids in the area already speak Spanish at home. Liam loves the idea of teaching his friends English while they teach him Spanish.  Reading, writing, and math are done primarily in English, everything else will be in Spanish. He’ll be at this school for 2 years. The principle says after 1 year kids are functionally fluent, and after 2 years the kids are conversationally fluent.  In addition to this specialty program, we chose this school because it was small, just over 200 kids, with above average test scores, and the lowest student/ teacher ratio in the district. 

The demographic breakdown of his school is: Hispanic 122 kids (53%) Black  103 (44%) Asian 5  (2.1%)  White 2   (0.9%) We aren’t worried about Liam being the racial minority because he’s gregarious and adaptable and luckily as a kid he hasn’t yet learned to categorize and stereotype.

Brady actually spent his first grade as the token white kid too. He was bussed for an hour across town to de-segregate Seattle’s schools. I'm sure this may have been stressful on his parents, but he has positive memories of this experience. In fact when applying to University of Maryland he wrote an essay on how this shaped his ability to accept people of other races and cultures. We’re hoping Liam will learn the same lessons, pick up a tangible skill, and get a multi-culturally savvy start. 

Happy Fathers Day

I came from an exceptional dad. I married a fantastic dad who also came from a super dad. Thank heavens for great dads! We spent the afternoon outside at the wildlife refuge. We found a hawk feather and an oddly shaped rock which liam says "looked like a heart, cause its fathers day." 

It's summertime and the living is oh so easy.

The warm, yellow sun feels intoxicating on my skin.  I can't seem to eat enough watermelon.  My yard is painted with my favorite orange lilies.  Elsie carries around her little pink watering can, filling it up from the tub and then watering the garden gnome.  Liam chases fire flies around the yard until the bugs are too tired to glow. I wish these summer days would never end.

 Liam in front of the national archives

This Friday we went downtown to Jazz in the Garden at the Smithsonian Sculpture Garden. It's where young beautiful people chat on the lawn, wearing tastefully revealing sundresses, eating picnics from Whole Foods Markets, and sipping red wine. I am always, undeniably, the only mother with kids in sight. Big Band music booms from the center stage and people flirt and do yoga on

 grassy corners. It's D.C. at it's yuppiest, and I love it.

Where is 'home' ?

My hometown, Eagle River, Alaska, is a gem.  It is full of people I treasure and places chalked full of happy memories. It is tucked away in mountains and anchored by a river that snakes through the valley.  Every time I come back, it is hard to leave.
 
I've been thinking a lot this trip about exactly what and where "home" is. Honestly, I can't quite put my finger on it.  It's been 10 years, 10 winters, since I lived in Alaska year round.  Some days up here I feel like an Eastcoast impostor.  Other days, being up here feels 100% natural.

Most people our age in the D.C. area are imports. Consequentially Brady and I are always being asked "Where are you from?"  We usually give one word answers. But especially for Brady, who grew up military, it's a lot more convoluted than that.

As I respond to this question it feels wrong to leave places, entire chunks of my history, out of my answer. It's as if by not mentioning all the places I've lived, I'm neglecting good times and cherished friends.  But I guess in someways, you take those with you with you where ever you go.

Everyone chooses their own definition of 'home,' but a few of mine are:
-Where you currently live, have your stuff, where you work, play, and your kids go to school
-Where you "grew up," the place that shaped you                      
-Where you have lived most recently
-Where mom and dad live   
-Where you have spent the most time
-The place you identify with, and like, the most
-Where you were most influenced
-Where you feel the most comfortable

It feels good to have more than one 'home.'  It also feels exciting knowing there are new places, new 'homes,' that one day will be added to our list.

 Me, with hippie hair